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Our Sanctuary and Shabbat Services Temple Sinai WASHINGTON, DC Our Sanctuary and Shabbat Services TEMPLE SINAI WASHINGTON DC 1 This booklet is a resource for congregants and guests. Please leave it at your seat. Access it online at templesinaidc.org. COVER The pomegranate, centerpiece of Temple Sinai’s ner tamid (eternal light). Kippot (yarmulkes or skullcaps) THIS PAGE and tallit (prayer Detail from mural shawls) are avail- “Creativity” by able in the Bet Am. Jack Perlmutter, These symbolic located in the “Upon three things does the world stand:garments upon are temple lobby. truth, upon justice, and upon peace.”worn voluntarily Avot 1:18 as a sign of respect Rabban Shimon ben Gamaliel II (second centuryduring C.E.), a prayer service. 8 THE SANCTUARY AND SABBATH SERVICES TABLE OF CONTENTS Welcome to Temple Sinai 1 The Treasures in Our Sanctuary 4 The Shabbat Service 12 , B nei Mitzvah Service 18 Bet Am — House of the People 20 Please keep Silence mobile devices. our sanctuary a place of Refrain from texting prayer and or talking on phone. meditation. Do not take photos or videos during service. TEMPLE SINAI . WASHINGTON, DC 1 WELCOME TO TEMPLE SINAI Temple Sinai is a vibrant place of learning with a respected nursery school, a thriving religious school, an active teen program, and varied adult education classes and lectures. Our library is filled with excellent Jewish resources. We offer a variety of worship services on Friday evenings, Saturdays, Holy Days, and holidays as well as during festivals. Organized in 1951, Temple Sinai is a Reform Jewish con- gregation affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ). The Reform movement has enabled the Jewish people to introduce innovation while preserving tradition, embrace diversity while asserting commonality, affirm beliefs without rejecting those who doubt, and bring faith to sacred texts without sacrificing critical scholarship. We have a proud tradition of being at the forefront of social justice, working with religious and secular groups 2 OUR SANCTUARY AND SHABBAT SERVICES throughout the Washington, DC, area on social action. We are a congregation that embraces the needs of our diverse membership. We welcome all people. We know that our congregation’s strength rests on a caring, welcoming community of Jewish life from birth to death. We support each member’s unique value and continue to build a strong foundation for the future. The cornerstone, set in 1956 at the front doors of the main entrance, is a relic from the third wall of ancient Jerusalem. The stone was excavated in 1925 and the founding documents of the congregation are sealed in a case under the stone. TEMPLE SINAI . WASHINGTON, DC 3 THE TREASURES IN OUR SANCTUARY Every synagogue contains religious symbols that evoke centuries of Jewish history. In Temple Sinai’s main sanctuary, we are surrounded by religious sacred objects that are also works of art. Satterlee and Smith, the architects of the temple building, sought to give a sense of entering a desert tent, A kippah (yarmulke reminding us of the Israelites’ 40 years of wandering or skullcap) and tallit (prayer shawl) are after the Exodus from Egypt. symbolic garments worn voluntarily The focal point of the sanctuary is the bimah (the during a prayer Bimah. service. They are elevated stage). Its overall appearance and artwork were available in both conceived by Boris Aronson ( *), a noted painter and the main sanctuary z”l and Bet Am, our theatrical designer. His setting for our sanctuary is rooted smaller space in traditional Jewish symbolism. The chairs and lecterns for worship (see page 20). *Zichrono (ah) livrachah is an honorific for the deceased meaning “of blessed memory.” 4 OUR SANCTUARY AND SHABBAT SERVICES on the bimah were designed by George Nakashima (z”l), known for creating innovative, elegant furniture that grows out of the beauty of its wood. Aron HaKodesh (Holy Ark). The centerpiece of the Boris Aronson bimah is the ark, the sacred cabinet containing the (1899–1980) conceived the Torah scrolls. The front of the ark—framed by two design for our dramatic teak columns—represents an opened Torah bimah. He was an artist known for scroll supported by two wooden poles. In Hebrew, set design of the term for Torah pole is eitz chayim, which literally Broadway shows including Cabaret, means “tree of life.” Company, and Fiddler on the Roof. Sculpted into the two teak columns are the Hebrew words “Adonai echad, God is One,” the basic tenet of Judaism. Beneath the ark is a crown carved of teak, symbolizing both the Crown of the Torah and the Crown of a Good Name. TEMPLE SINAI . WASHINGTON, DC 5 6 OUR SANCTUARY AND SHABBAT SERVICES THE TREASURES IN OUR SANCTUARY CONTINUED Ner tamid (eternal light). Above the ark, the flame of thener tamid is always lit. The flame is sheltered in a pomegranate, a biblical fruit with many allegorical interpretations. The ner tamid is placed in a triangle representing the one shaped by fingers of the high priest raising both hands in benediction to bless the congregation. Above these hands curves a shofar (ram’s horn), which in ancient times was blown to summon the congregation to prayer. Its penetrating call—said to reach to the throne of God— continues to be heard on the High Holy Days of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. The curve of the shofar culminates in the letter yod, which stands for God. The Torah scrolls. The Torah, the most revered and sacred object of Jewish ritual, is the handwritten scroll of the Five Books of Moses. The Torah is written on parchment rolled around two wooden poles. It is kept in the ark with a cloth covering, often adorned with rimonim (silver ornaments) and a breastplate. The text of the Torah, unchanged through countless generations, is scribed by hand and must be letter-perfect. Of the Torah scrolls in our sanctuary, the tallest one has a special significance. It was written in 1780 for the Pinkas Synagogue in Prague, Czech Republic. It is one of hundreds of Torah scrolls rescued after the Holocaust and distributed to synagogues throughout the world by the Czech Memorial Scrolls Trust. See pages 12 and 15 for more about the Torah. TEMPLE SINAI . WASHINGTON, DC 7 THE TREASURES IN OUR SANCTUARY CONTINUED The doors of the ark. On an enameled background of blues and greens, the doors of the ark present an intricate sculpture of Judaic symbols and Hebrew words. The designs in four rows read from right to left, as does Hebrew. The Hebrew word kadosh (holy). The ark contains the Torah, the one object in the sanctuary considered holy. A red menorah (candelabrum). This plaque in three segments depicts a blue chuppah (marriage canopy), representing Judaism’s commitment to the perpetuation of life, according to the commandment, “Be fruitful and multiply.” 8 OUR SANCTUARY AND SHABBAT SERVICES The Lion of Judah (mentioned in Genesis) is depicted in orange. The Magen David (Star of David) is an ancient symbol of the Jewish people. A landscape of arcs highlights three Hebrew letters to the right of the menorah: shin, dalet, and yod—spelling the word Shaddai, an early name for God. A garnet-colored water jug represents the ancient Levites, drawers of water at the Temple. Another inscription of kadosh is positioned at the top of the plaque. A scroll of the Book of Esther and a second Magen David. TEMPLE SINAI . WASHINGTON, DC 9 THE TREASURES IN OUR SANCTUARY CONTINUED Candlelighting. The blessings welcoming Shabbat (the Sabbath) are traditionally said in the home at sundown on Friday. They have been included in the Reform Shabbat synagogue services as well. Menorah. The temple menorah at the front of the sanctuary (see photos on pages 5 and 16–17) reminds us of the seven-branch candelabrum of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem. It symbolizes the seven days of the Creation. Standing eight feet tall, our menorah, as are all of the other cast bronze ceremonial objects, is by sculptor Harvey Moore (z”l). The spiraling shapes of the seven candles recall the braided challah, the bread we eat on Friday evening after lighting the Shabbat candles. The menorah in the rear of the sanctuary is a chanukiyah (pictured above), lit during the festival of Chanukah. It has eight branches—one for each night of the holiday— as well as an additional holder at the base for the candle called the shamash (servant), used to light the other candles. This chanukiyah was originally designed to burn oil, which is the tradition of the festival. TEMPLE SINAI . WASHINGTON, DC 11 THE SHABBAT SERVICE During the two millenia in which the Jews have been dispersed among the peoples of the world, two traditions, the Sabbath day of rest and Torah study, have enabled the passing-on of Jewish traditions and the survival of our people. Shabbat traditions emphasize two principles: oneg (celebration) and menuchah (rest ABOVE or desisting from work). Although Jews observe these During the Torah service, in a variety of ways, there is no other commandment the reader uses or ritual observance for which one can find such a yad (hand) to follow the expressions of affection and devotion as for Shabbat. text on the parchment Shabbat is a reminder of both the Creation of the scroll. world and the Exodus from slavery in Egypt. Shabbat observance emphasizes the separation of that day from the remainder of the week, making time itself holy. Shabbat begins at sundown Friday evening (Erev Shabbat) and ends at sundown Saturday (see Havdalah, 12 OUR SANCTUARY AND SHABBAT SERVICES THE SHABBAT SERVICE page 19). Shabbat services are held on Friday evening and on Saturday morning.
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